Charles e



No. 6l7,306. Patented Ian. '3, 18199.

6. E. GIBBS.

GAME.

(Application filed Mar. 7, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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CHARLES E. GIBBS, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO PARKER BROTHERS,OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS.

GAME.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 617,306, dated January3, 1899.

Application filed ch 7, 1898- Serial No. 672,850. (No model.)

To whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. GIBBS, of Maplewood, Malden, county ofMiddlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inGames, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and numerals onthe drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of a novel game, thesame having as an essential part of it a plate having a projection atone or both ends, said plate being preferably shaped to resemble theoutlines of a turtle, the plate in thisinstance of my inventionpresenting two projections, one at each end, the projectionscorresponding with the head and tail of a turtle, said plate havingother projections corresponding with the feet of a turtle. I prefer toemploy a series of these plates in the game, and they will preferably bestruck up from sheet metal or other thin, rigid, stifi material, leavingthe central part of the plates of concavo-convex shape, so that severalof said plates may be nested or stacked one upon the other to constitutewhat I shall designate the first position of the game.

I prefer to use as a part of the game a log or equivalent and a stick bywhich to strike one of the projections of the plate to make it jump inthe direction of and over the log, or, it may be, in the box, itconstituting in the game a pool.

Figure 1 represents a top or plan view of one of the plates referred to.Fig. 2 shows six of said plates stacked in a pile as when the game isstarted. Fig. 3 shows the six plates arranged indiscriminately, someright side and some wrong side up, together with a log, the dotted linesshowing a plate jumped over the log, supposedly from the full-lineposition, the said box being shown as lying near the log andconstituting a pool or pond; and Fig. 4: shows a stick for striking theplates.

Each plate consists of a central or body portion A, concavo-convex inshape, said body portion having an end or projection a, preferablyupturned slightly, it representing,

say, the tail of a turtle, and a second projection I), also preferablyupturned, it representing the head of a turtle, other projections 1, 2,3, and 4 being extended from the body part A of the plate, representingfeet of the turtle. These plates are preferably made of thin but yetrigid sheet metal, and they are formed by stamping or dieing them out.In the game these plates are superimposed one on the other, as in astack, as in Fig. 2. A log, as B, of considerable diameter may be laidupon a table or board, or with said log or instead of the log I may usethe box, so that the plates may when struck be made to jump over the logor into or over the box. Fig. 4 shows a rod or stick D,which may be ofsteel or metal, if desired. The player takes the rod in hand and strikesthe projection a of the uppermost plate in the series stacked, as inFig. 2, and as a result of a sharp quick blow the several plates willfly in different directions, and they will land, say, as represented inFig. 3, where the plates marked A are supposed to be right side up andthose A wrong side up. As the plates are convex or rounded on theirbacks, it follows that when they are in the position shown at A they arereadily locked, and therefore it is more difficult to give the turtlesany desired direction by a blow, inasmuch as when the turtles are rightside up the legs, resting firmly on the board, form a definite fulcrumor pivot, turning of the turtles thereby enabling the player to judgewith tolerable accuracy of the direction in which they will jump,according to any given blow. In the game the count may be made of thosewhich are right side up and those which are wrong side up to make pointsin the total score. The player then strikes the projections 66 of thoseplates which are right side up and attempts to make the plates or tnrtles jump, either over the log or into the pool, one entitling theplayer to a certain count and the other to another count. The platesturned wrong side up have to be struck in some way so as to reversethem, and thereafter they may be struck to make them jump in the desireddirection.

The feet on the plates support them readily, so that they may be easilyjumped when either the projection a or b is struck by the rod D,aseither may be, according to the direction it is desired to jump theplates. These plates may be finished by any japanning or equivalentprocess, and they may be of any desired or suitable color, and, ifdesired, they may be all of different colors.

It will be obvious that the length and size of the projections a or Z)might be varied without departing from my invention and that the platesmight be made to jump if provided with but one of the said projections;but two are preferable, because of the greater range of control of theplates. Slightly upturning the projections referred to enables the stickto get a better hold upon the plates in order to make the blow of thestick effective in overturning the plates.

It will be observed that the projections a are short and are simplyupturned, whereas the projections I) are longer and are not onlyupturned but are slightly downturned at their extremities, the result ofthis construction, being that when the end a is struck, whether with asharp blow ora slow blowthe turtle is caused to jump; but a slow blow onthe projection Z) cannot possibly make the turtle jump, and any kind ofa blow on the inner part or upwardly-inclined part of the projection 12cannot cause the turtle to jump, and also because of the peculiar shapeof the outer end of the projection 12 a blow thereon is more apt to makethe turtle simply turn bottom side up than to make it jump, while asharp blow on the extreme end of the projection Z) if skilfullydelivered is the only kind of ablow that will make the turtle jump. Asbefore stated, the stacking or nesting compactly together of theturtles, as shown in Fig. 2, is of considerable importance in playingthe game, inasmuch as it enables a blow given, for instance, to theprojection a, Fig. 2, to simultaneously and similarly affect all theturtles, whereas if the turtles were not so shaped as to be capable ofnesting together compactly throughout their entire body-surface it isevident that a blow on the top one would simply cause that one to jog orturn away from the others without causing all the turtles to jump.

Having fully described my invention,what

I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Agame having as one of its component parts a thin plate provided witha slightlyupturned projection which may be struck a quick blow to causethe plate to jump or overturn, substantially as described.

2. A game having as one of its component parts a plate provided with twoupturned projections, one of said projections being longer than theother and the longer projection being slightly downturned at its freeend, either of which may be struck a quick blow to cause the plate tojump or overturn, substantially as described.

3. A game having as one of its component parts a thin plate having aprojection and a plurality of feet to support the plate while theprojection is being struck by a stick, the feet projecting in onedirection and the projection in an opposite direction,substantially asdescribed.

4. A game consisting of a plu rality of plates, each having an upturnedprojection, and a plurality of downturned feet, the bodies of saidplates being concavo-convex in crosssection to enable them to be nestedcompactly together in a pile, substantially as described.

5. A game-composed of a series of concavo-- convex plates each having anupturned projection, and a plurality of downturned legs, substantiallyas described.

6. A game composed of a series of similarlyformed concavo-convex plates,each having an upturned projection adapted to be struck to overturn ormake said plates jump, substantially as described.

7. Agameconsistingof aplurality of plates the bodies of which aresimilarly concavoconvex in cross-section to enable them to be nested,&c. in a pile; each of said plates having a projection,which may bestruck a quick blow in order to cause it to jump or overturn,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES E. GIBBS.

\Vitnesses:

OSCAR S. JAoKsoN, HARRY E. J AOKSON.

